1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rolled paper holder for electronic equipment having a printer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most of the electronic equipment with printers use so-called rolled paper as a recording paper. The electronic equipment with printer which uses rolled paper usually has a device for removably and rotatably holding the rolled paper, on the exterior of the main frame. Various rolled paper holders have been proposed and used in the past. They are classified into a first group which accommodates and holds the rolled paper inside the main frame and a second group which holds the rolled paper outside of the main frame. The former is often used in a cash register and a relatively large size electronic desk-top calculator and the latter is often used in a relatively small size office desk-top calculator. In the latter type of rolled paper holder, it is required, from the nature of the electronic equipment on which it is mounted, that the structure be simple and foldable for storage.
FIGS. 1 to 3 show an example of the latter type of rolled paper holder. A construction and a function thereof are explained below. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the prior art device, FIG. 2 shows a sectional view taken along a line II--II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows a sectional view taken along a line III--III in FIG. 1. In those figures, numeral 1 denotes an upper external case of an electronic equipment with a printer, numeral 2 denotes a lower external case, numeral 3-1 denotes a rolled paper holding right arm, numeral 3-2 denotes a rolled paper holding left arm, numeral 3-3 denotes rolled paper holding projections, numeral 4 denotes a rolled paper, numeral 5 denotes a tension spring, numeral 6-1 denotes a rolled paper holding right arm shaft, numeral 6-2 denotes a rolled paper holding left arm shaft, numeral 1-1 denotes a rolled paper holding arm spacer of the upper outer case 1, and numerals 6-3 and 6-4 denote engaging portions of the left and right rolled paper holding arm shafts. The rolled paper holding arm shafts 6-1 and 6-2 fixed at right angles to the bottom ends of the rolled paper holding arms 3-1 and 3-2 are hollow cylinders and a predetermined length portion of each of the rolled paper holding arms shafts 6-1 and 6-2 from an end thereof is partially cut away to form a semi-cylindrical and forms the engaging portion 6-3 or 6-4 for the rolled paper holding arm shaft 6-1 or 6-2, respectively. The rolled paper holding arm shafts 6-1 and 6-2 engage with each other at the engaging portions 6-3 and 6-4 to form a perfect cylinder and be coupled to each other. It is rotatably held in a space between the upper outer case 1 and the lower outer case 2. When a force is applied to only one of the rolled paper holding arms 3-1 and 3-2, the left and right rolled paper holding arms 3-1 and 3-2 can be simultaneously rotated in a direction of an arrow shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, it can be used in a position inclined by 45.degree. from a vertical position or stored in the vertical position as shown by double-dot chain lines. Inside of the rolled paper holding arm shafts 6-1 and 6-2, the tension spring 5 having its opposite ends locked by spring locking pawls 3-4 formed at the bottoms of the rolled paper holding arms 3-1 and 3-2 is provided. By the tension spring 5, the rolled paper holding arms 3-1 and 3-2 are always pulled inwardly to engage with the opposite ends of the rolled paper holding arm spacer 1-1 so that they are held at a spacing to rotatably hold the rolled paper 4. A gap 1-2 is formed behind (left side in FIG. 2) the rolled paper holding left arm 3-2. This, by moving the rolled paper holding left arm 3-2 in a direction of an arrow B shown in FIG. 3 against the tension force of the tension spring 5, the rolled paper 4 can be mounted or removed. In this rolled paper holder, by appropriately selecting the length of the rolled paper holding arm spacer 1-1 of the upper cutter case 1, the rolled papers of different paper widths can be used without modifying the electronic equipment.
However, the prior art rolled paper holder described above has the following disadvantages. The number of parts is large. The work for locking the opposite ends of the tension spring 5 to the spring latching pawls 3-4 of the rolled paper holding arms 3-1 and 3-2 is very troublesome. Thus, part cost and assembly costs are high.